


Little Miracle

by kribban



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Hanukkah, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21660934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kribban/pseuds/kribban
Summary: Leonard gives Pavel a gift every night of Hanukkah.
Relationships: Pavel Chekov/Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40
Collections: Star Trek Ships Advent Calender 2019





	Little Miracle

Pavel's family was not observant. His father was a High Holidays-type who ate synthesized bacon and frequently worked on the Sabbath. There had almost been a kind of pride growing up, pride over being Jewish but casual about it. It was an attitude that had dominated Pavel's father's circle of intellectuals.

His mother... Well, she had died before they'd had the chance to discuss it. 

Pavel supposed he, too, was proud of being casually Jewish. He didn't have a Menorah to light, but he noted the date on the calendar and synthesized a jelly donut in the Mess Hall. That was good enough for him.

Leonard handed him a gift-wrapped box during dinner. ”It's tonight, right?”

The box contained an analog wristwatch, silver-colored and made on Earth. Pavel had never been late for anything in his life, and there were chronometers everywhere on the ship, but it was still a wonderful gift.

”It's lovely, Leo,” he smiled. ”Chag Sameach!” It was one of the few phrases he could confidently pronounce. 

Leonard looked pleased and returned to his note-making. 

On the second night, Leonard gave him a small box of chocolate gelt. 

”There's usually a game, involved, right?”

”Uhm, yes?” Pavel eyed the chocolate suspiciously. The synthesizer could probably spit out a dreidel if he asked it nicely. ”Do you want to play? It's usually for little kids.”

”Naw, that's okay,” Leonard replied and started clearing the table. ”Just eat your chocolate.” 

On the third night, Leonard was already asleep by the time Pavel came home, but there was a gift box full of synthesizer chips on the nightstand. 

”Okay, what is going on?” Pavel asked as soon as Leonard had taken his first sip of coffee in the morning. ”Did you do something stupid?” 

”Only ever other day,” Leonard muttered. ”Hanukkah lasts for eight nights, right?” 

”Giving gifts every night is very excessive and not necessary. The watch was very nice, but...”

”And you got that on the first night. The rest of the gifts are cheap ones, as you've already noticed.”

That was exactly how the gift-giving had been handled at Pavel's house when he was growing up. He frowned. ”Leo, did you talk to my father?” 

Leonard didn't answer, just leaned back in his chair. His eyes narrowed. ”Do you want a Menorah?”

”No!”

”Good, it's a fire hazard,” Leonard said, sounding relieved, and drained the rest of his cup. 

”Bones said to give you this.” 

The Captain had returned from his visit to Sickbay looking a little less worried than before he'd gone down there. Three crewmen had suffered burn injuries when a hot water pipe had ruptured, but judging by the look on his face it was obvious they would all recover. 

Pavel glanced down at the stylus in his hand. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about it. It looked exactly like every other stylus he owned, save for the bite marks.

”Yeah, it's going to be an all-nighter, Lieutenant,” the Captain said and clapped him on the back. ”Let's hope nothing else adventurous happens today.” 

The fifth night's gift was a small bottle of coconut oil that Leonard rubbed into every inch of Pavel's body. 

”My father is a very strange man,” Pavel said later, naked, with Leonard's arm around his waist. ”He taught me about the rules so I could break them. He claims to be an atheist, yet, he believes in God enough to be angry with him. In many ways, he is a walking contradiction.”

Leonard let out a yawn behind him. ”Those are the best kinds. What about you? You believe in God?”

Pavel shifted his head on the pillow and pondered the question. ”I honestly do not know. There might be a higher power and there might not be. I also don't know if it really matters to our life here and now.”

”Yeah, me neither,” Leonard said and Pavel was left to wonder which part he was agreeing to. 

The door was locked, Nurse Chapel on her break, and Pavel's cock was in Leonard's strong, warm hands. He pressed his head back against the wall and breathed through his orgasm, just like he'd learned to do in his Academy dorm room where privacy had been a thing of the past. 

”This is not technically a gift,” he said coyly when he had caught his breath. ”But very appreciated, nonetheless.” 

Leonard was already at the basin, scrubbing his hands, and he rolled his eyes at Pavel. ”Check the top drawer.” 

Pavel pulled his uniform pants over his slim hips and walked over to the filing cabinet. There was a thin paper book in the top drawer. The title was ”The Seven Wonders in two Earth days” and there was a picture of a waterfall on the cover. 

Pavel flipped over to the index: transport sites, recommended equipment, shuttle services from Atlanta.

”You wish to take me to Georgia, Leo?”

”If you want, yeah,” Leonard shrugged and Pavel could tell he was trying his best to act casual. ”Won't be for another year, or so.”

The mission plan kept changing and a trip home would be the first thing to be rescheduled if the need arose. They both knew this. Everyone on the ship knew this.

Pavel was suddenly overcome with the urge to hug Leonard. He walked over and wrapped his arms tightly around Leonard from behind and held on even when his boyfriend started squirming in embarrassment. ”I will go with you whenever we get the opportunity to, Leo. Until then, I will read the book so thoroughly that we can travel there in our imagination.”

There was a new playlist in his home catalog the following morning. It was titled 'Earthvision Song Contest Winners 2250-2260'. The idea of Leonard making the effort of tracking down those songs was amusing and Pavel blasted 'Siberian Ecstasy' on high volume while he brushed his teeth. 

”Hanukkah is not even one of the important holidays, you know.” 

Pavel was too hungry to even speculate on what was in the lumpy package next to his plate. He managed not to shovel the stew into his mouth. It would be a rude thing to do when Leonard had taken the time to prepare such a nice dinner. 

”But worth celebrating all the same,” Leonard added and took a sip of his wine. He hardly ever drank wine, but he had sworn the meat-analog in the stew called for it. ”It's about a miracle, right?”

”Not a very spectacular miracle.” The worst of Pavel's hunger had been satiated and he slowed down enough to finally taste the wine and pick up the gift. Whatever it was, it was soft and the wrapping paper had a nice, blue color. ”Though I suppose, in this day and age there is something awe-inspiring about fuel lasting longer than physically possible.”

He tore the seams of the package as carefully as possible and unfolded the layers of wrapping paper to reveal a pair of grey socks, just about his size. They looked warm and the yarn was soft against his skin, not at all scratchy. ”Oh, these are very nice, Leo. Thank you.” 

Leonard's eyes were dark and the wine had gone straight to his cheeks. He regarded Pavel with a curious expression. 

”You should always celebrate a miracle.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please point out any mistakes I made! I have done all my research on Hanukkah online.


End file.
